In August 2025, Nigeria’s Federal Government reaffirmed that President Bola Tinubu’s administration has distributed development fairly across all six geopolitical zones—citing infrastructure, human capital, and economic projects from coast to hinterland
. But is this a concrete reflection of equity, or merely polished political messaging?

1. Infrastructure: Roads, Rails, and Regional Reach

Northwest leads in approvals: The FG itself admits the Northwest received the lion’s share of infrastructure approvals—over ₦5.97 trillion, representing more than 40% of total
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. Meanwhile, zones like the South East (₦407 billion), North East (₦400 billion), and South West (excluding Lagos, ₦604 billion) trail far behind.

Ambitious highways, but partial completion: Projects such as the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway (700 km) and the Sokoto–Badagry Superhighway (1,068 km) are commendable in scope. Yet, as of May 2025, only 30 km of the Coastal Highway had been commissioned—drawing public criticism for premature fanfare

Rail progress skewed northward: Rail investments show progress: the Kano–Maradi line rose from 5% to over 60% completion; the Kaduna–Kano project is well underway; and the eastern Port Harcourt–Maiduguri corridor is being revived

. These all benefit primarily the North.

Clearly, while major arteries are under construction, visibility and progress diverge across regions—raising questions about perceived fairness.

2. Human Capital and Social Infrastructure

Healthcare investments: Over 1,000 primary healthcare centres have been rehabilitated nationwide

. Additionally, the recent opening of the Federal Medical Centre in Kafanchan (2025) aims to serve Southern Kaduna and surrounding states

Health insurance and workforce: Under the leadership of Minister Muhammad Ali Pate, the administration expanded basic health funding—allocating ₦45.9 billion to 8,800 PHCs—and improved immunization, maternal care, and sustainability investments

. Meanwhile, broader reforms like health insurance have brought coverage to nearly 19.8 million Nigerians, with targeted deployment of over 770 National Health Fellows to underserved communities
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.

Education support: The NELFUND student loan program has disbursed over N70 billion (or N42.8 billion in another report) to over 440,000–600,000 students

. Also, the Almajiri Integration Programme integrated over 1.2 million children into formal education, a model now being expanded toward educating 10 million out-of-school youths by 2027
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.

Such interventions underscore intent—but again, equitable reach across regions (especially rural and under-resourced zones) remains uneven.

3. Macroeconomic Reforms and Financial Stability

Economic stabilization: Tinubu’s government has enacted bold reforms—removing fuel and electricity subsidies, unifying exchange rates, stopping reckless money printing, reducing fiscal deficits (from 5.4% to 3.0% of GDP), and increasing oil production from 1 million to 1.5 million barrels per day
.

Tax and revenue expansion: Tax-to-GDP ratio rose from around 10% to over 13.5% within a year
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. Non-oil revenue grew too—by around 15%, adding ₦3 trillion to the budget
.

These fiscal gains are commendable and, theoretically, bolster the capacity for nationwide development. Yet, how these gains translate to tangible investments in each region remains to be closely examined.

4. Security and Anti-Corruption

Security gains recorded: The EFCC achieved 4,111 convictions and recovered over ₦364 billion and significant foreign currency assets

. Insecurity remains a critical issue: Amnesty International reports over 10,000 deaths since Tinubu took office, despite efforts to curb banditry and violence
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.

Military results and gaps: Thousands of insurgents neutralized; hundreds of thousands surrendered
. Yet, security challenges—especially in the Southeast, Middle Belt, and parts of the Northeast—persist, reinforcing regional disparities in safety.

5. The Balance Sheet: Words vs. Reality

Taken together, Tinubu’s administration scores real policy wins: macroeconomic stabilization, infrastructure, education and health investments, and anti-corruption initiatives. However, the distribution of benefits appears unbalanced:

The Northwest appears to enjoy disproportionate infrastructure approvals.

Southern and Eastern zones show infrastructure efforts but at lower scales and slower completion.

Human capital programs are nationwide in design but vary in actual on-the-ground reach.

Economic gains empower the federal capacity, yet equitable channeling to zones demands vigilant transparency.

President Tinubu’s government has indeed delivered notable reforms and projects. The strides in economic stability, healthcare expansion, and infrastructure ambition are not to be dismissed. Yet, fairness is not just about intent—it’s about balance, visibility, and impact.

Observers and citizens alike are right to ask: Are national ambitions equally felt across every zone? The numbers suggest room for improvement. Words of equity must translate into uniformly visible, regionally felt progress—not just announcements, but real, inclusive outcomes.

As Nigeria approaches the 2027 elections, the government’s next test lies in ensuring that its “Renewed Hope” agenda reaches every local community—North, South, East, West, Middle Belt—without exception.